Music-roll-marking device.



PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

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P WUEST, JR MUSIC ROLL MARKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1908.

WITNESSE: XM I W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP WUEST, JR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTO-MANUAL PIANO ACTION COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC-ROLL-MARKING DEVICE.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed February 5, 1908. Serial No. 414,316.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP WUEST, Jr., of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Roll-Marking Devices, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention is intended to afford means for marking a series of isolated dots or other symbols, upon the perforated sheet, commonly termed a music-roll, employed in selfplayin instruments, the marks being automatica y impressed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the sheet, but the location of the marks transversely upon the sheet being under the manual control of the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I, is a view in side elevation of the marking device and its connections with the pneumatic actuating mechanism, the tracker bar and music roll being shown in vertical transverse section, and certain adjunctive parts being conventionally indicated by partial representation. Fig. II, is a central vertical section through the marker and the actuating device connected therewith, which, for convenience, maybe termed the direct actuator. Fig. III, is an inverted plan view thereof. Fig. IV, is a vertical section through the casing containing certain elements of the more remote pneumatic actuating mechanism, which controls the movements of the direct actuator. Fig. V is a fragmentary front elevation of the music sheet, showingthe extra perforations which control the markers.

Referring to Fig. I, the tracker bar is indicated at 1, the perforated sheet of the music roll at 2, the winding roller at 3, and the spool of the sheet at 4. The motor devices for actuating thewinding roller are not shown, as their construction is well understood.

The tracker bar is provided with a special duct 5, whose aperture is preferably located at one of the extremities of the row of note apertures, and therefore immediately adjacent to the edge of the traveling sheet, said aperture not corresponding with any musical note to be controlled by the sheet, and being only employed upon the master instrument intended for marking the rolls. The tracker bar duct 5, communicates by means of a tube 6, with the interior of the casing 7, which contains certain of the remote pneumatic actuating elements, and which in turn communicates, by means of a flexible pipe 8, with the nozzle 9, of the casing 10, in which the direct actuator of the marker lever 11, is contained.

Referring now to Figs II, and III, the details of said marker lever 11, and its direct actuator will be described. The lever 11, is pivoted upon a lug 12, of the casing 10, and carries at its outer end a tubular receptacle 13, for marking fluid, such as aniline ink, the tube being closed by a plug 14:, of absorbent material which protrudes slightly from the end thereof. A retracting spring 15, tends to throw the free end of the lever upwards in Fig. II, or away from the music roll. The other end of the lever 11, is connected by the staple 16, with a movable pneumatic diaphragm 17, mounted in the casing 10, the rigid plate 18, also mounted in the casing, forming with said diaphragm a closed chamber which communicates through the nozzle 9, with the group of pneumatic elements in the casing 7.

The casing 10, is provided with a stem 19, which is mounted upon a block 20, carried by the tempo controlling member 21, of the instrument, which member in this instance, is partially indicated as a vertical lever, but which may be of any of the well known types of controller, movin in a direction lengthwise with and para lel to the face of the tracker bar.

By means of this tem 0 controller, the marker lever 11, and its irect actuator can be manually shifted in lateral relation to the sheet 2, so that when the marker lever is operatively actuated by the automatic devices, the resulting dot or other symbol, can be impressed at any desired location transversely of the sheet, and moreover, such location of the mark will thereafter correspond with a similar position of the tempo controller in another playing instrument of the same type.

Referring now to Fig. IV, the construction and mode of operation, of the group of pneumatic actuating elements in the casing 7, will be described. Said casing contains a vacuum chamber 25, which communicates throu h the nozzle 26, with the exhaust bellows of the instrument, not shown. A movable diahragm 27, is arranged across a recess 28, at the bottom of said chamber 25, and communicates by means of the nozzle 29, with the tube 6, leading from the special duct 5, of the tracker bar. Said recess also communicates with the vacuum chamber by means of a small bleed-hole 40. The diaphragm 27, carries a vertical stem 30, upon which are mounted the valves 31, and 32, situated within the valve chamber 33, which communicates by means of a nozzle 34, with the flexible tube 8, leading to the marking devices. The valve 31, controls the opening in an annular plate 36, between the chamber 33, and the vacuum chamber 35, while the valve 32, controls a similar opening in an annular plate 37, between the chamber 33, and the passage 39, which is open to the atmosphere. The location of the valves upon the stem is such that when one is closed the other is open. The area of said valve 31, is substantially less than the area of the diaphragm 27 so that when the latter is free to move under the suction characteristic of the vacuum chamber, the pressure on the diaphragm will predominate over that upon the valve 31, and the former will rise, opening said valve and closing the valve 32. The suction upon the diaphragm 27, can, however, only become effective when the interior of the recess 28, is in free communication with the atmosphere, and when said communication is cut off, (the pressure on opposite sides of the diaphragm 27, being equalized by means of the bleed-hole 40), the suction upon the valve 31, will cause the diaphragm 27, to descend, thus closing the valve 31, and opening the valve 32.

The operation of the automatic mechanism is as follows :-A partial vacuum is maintained in the vacuum chamber 25, by the suction of the exhaust bellows, and hence the valve 31, remains closed, since the diaphragm 27, is normally cut off from atmospheric pressure by means of the music sheet 2. WVhen, however, a perforation in the sheet 2, registers with the aperture of the special duct -5, in the tracker bar, air is freely admitted through the tube 6, to the recess 28, below the diaphragm 27, and the suction through the vacuum chamber 25, becomes effective to raise the diaphragm 27, thus shiftin the stem 30, so as to open the valve 31 anc close the valve '32. Thereupon, the suction through the vacuum chamber 25, takes effect through the nozzle 34, and flexible pipe 8, upon the marker actuator, causing the dlaphragm 17, to move upward and shift the free end of the marking lever 11, towards the sheet 2, thus impressing a mark thereon.

As soon, however, as the perforation in the sheet 2, has traveled past the aperture of the special duct 5, the intervention of the paper cuts off the atmosphere from the tube 6, and recess 28, whereupon, the valve 31, will close and the valve 32, will open, so that communication with the atmosphere is reestablished through the tube 8, with the chamber of the marker diaphragm 17. This returns to its normal position, the spring 15,retracting the lever so as to withdraw it from contact with the sheet 2. Owing to the flexible connection between the marker actuator and the other pneumatic devices, the marker and its actuator may be shifted laterally to any desired point within the range of movement of the tempo controller.

The perforations which register with the aperture of the duct 5, are arranged, at the desired longitudinal intervals upon the sheet 2, in correspondence with phrases or grou )S of notes, which may be characteristic of the rhythm of the musical composition represented by said sheet. The marks, thus inipressed automatically, at predetermined intervals, in the lengthwise direction of the sheet, are located at any desired point in the transverse direction thereof, at the will of the operator, and as the transverse position of the tempo controlling member corre sponds with predetermined variations of the speed of travel of the sheet, the dots may be so placed as to indicate to the player of another similar instrument the appropriate variations of.tempo, which can be reproduced by causing an ordinary index mounted on the tempo controller of such other instrument, to successively approximate the transverse positions of the series of marks. Such use of marks or symbols upon music rolls, however, forms no part of my present invention, which is addressed Wholly to the preparation of the marked roll by means of a mas ter instrument.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination with the tracker bar having a special duct and with the music sheet having a longitudinal series of perforations adapted to register with said duct of a marking device means for automatically actuating said marking device including pneumatic devices controlled by atmospheric communication through said duct; and means for manually shifting said marking device laterally with relation to the sheet.

2. The combination with the tracker bar, having a special duct and with the music sheet having a longitudinal series of perforations adapted to register with said duct; of a marker lever an actuator therefor comprising a pneumatic diaphragm connected with said lever; a vacuum chamber arranged in operative relation to said diaphragm; a valve for controlling the com munication between said vacuum chamber and said diaphragm,- pneumatic actuating means for said valve, arranged in operative relation to said special duct,- and means for shifting said marker lever laterally with relation to the music sheet.

3. The combination with the tracker bar having a special duct, with the music sheet having a longitudinal series of perforations adapted to register with said duct, and with a tempo controller movable laterally with relation to the sheet; of a marker lever; an actuator therefor carried by said tempo controller, said actuator comprising a pneumatic diaphragm connected with said lever; a flexible tube connected with said actuator; a vacuum chamber communicating with said tube; a valve, controlling the communica- 0 tion through said tube; and pneumatic actuating means for said valve arranged in operative relation to said special duct.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- Vania, 1908.

PHILIP WUEST, JR.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. BELL, E. L. FULLERTON.

this twenty-seventh day of January, 15 

